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President Mugabe

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The country’s history on the war of liberation must be taught in schools to maintain patriotism among young people, President Mugabe has said. He was speaking during the joint burial of national heroine Cde Maud Muzenda and national hero Cde George Rutanhire at the National Heroes Acre on Saturday. President Mugabe said the generation that fought the liberation war was ageing, making it necessary to have a new breed of patriotic Zimbabweans.

“Vakomana vekuzvikoro, kuva inheritors of the legacy, taavakuru-ka isu, we are now in the afternoons, if not evenings of our lives and ava vave vakuru futi,” he said.

“They are now in the afternoons. Tinoda ma followers tione kuti yes, we are breeding followers in our schools.

“Schools should not be ashamed of teaching the history of our country and the history of the struggle. That is the history, our history.

“Haikona kunzwa mateacher achiti ‘haiwa, izvi hazviiti, tinoda zvana Napoleon’. Napoleon wakamuzivira kupi? So, let us be Zimbabweans.”

President Mugabe urged young people to emulate the lives of the likes of Cde Rutanhire, who joined the liberation struggle at a young age.

He also urged leaders in Government and zanu-pf to prioritise the wishes and aspirations of the people in whatever they do, as was the case during the fight for independence.

“That sacrifice in our case is putting the people first, because our ideology was to build a force, a struggle, which was people-oriented, which put the people first,” said President Mugabe. “That is why we say the Zanu we have is not a Zanu that should work for individuals, but a Zanu that puts people’s interests first.

“Vanhu, vanhu, vanhu, vazhinji vedu munyika vose, marights avo, mainterests avo, rugare rwavo, zvese zvavanoita, vane minda here? Tinoda ideology yakanangana naizvozvo. Tinoda party inoramba yakanangana nekusimudzira vanhu. So, we are a people’s party.”

Cdes Muzenda and Rutanhire died last week and their burial at the national shrine was attended by thousands of people.